Revolution of the Species: The next Mustang could be the most radical pony car since the first one.

The 2015 GT will keep the Coyote 5.0-liter V-8, but don’t expect horsepower to rise from its current 420. The delayed-intro Boss 302 will see an extra six ponies coaxed out of its engine, raising that figure to 450.

Ford is playing its cards very close to the vest regarding the next Shelby GT500. Underhood space in the 2015 Mustang will be tighter than it is today, posing a problem for the Shelby’s massive supercharged and intercooled 5.8-liter. Due to its height, the 5.8 appears to have been squeezed out. Its 662 horses will be tough to beat in the next-generation Shelby, if there is a next-generation Shelby. But the GT500 has garnered Ford a lot of press, and a twin-turbocharged, direct-injected Coyote is a tantalizing concept with the potential to match the 114 horsepower per liter of the 5.8.

Initially, the new Mustang’s transmissions will carry over from today’s car, but an eight-speed automatic will join the lineup eventually.

The 2015 edition of America’s original pony car promises a marked mechanical improvement over anything that has carried the Mustang name, but its sheetmetal wrapper may concern loyalists. Last September, Ford unveiled the Evos concept car at the Frankfurt auto show. The automaker said at the time that the sleek coupe represented “the ultimate expression of Ford’s new global design language.” Over the past several months, the company has led us to believe, through cryptic statements and innuendo, that the Evos also telegraphs the form of the next Mustang. To be sure, the Evos is one highly attractive machine, but when you look at it there’s little that makes you think “Mustang.”

It won’t be the first time the model eschewed its established visual language for a cleaner, less brand-specific look. Although devoid of any Mustang cues, the 1979 model was well received by customers and journalists alike—perhaps in large part because the Mustang II that preceded it was so misshapen. Slowly, though, original design elements crept back in, culminating in a 2005 model chock-a-block with everything that made the first Mustang so strong.

A Mustang that ignores its styling heritage does so at its own peril. While the Evos is a great statement and direction for Ford as a whole, it is woefully short of the visual candy that many people believe makes a Mustang a Mustang. Here’s hoping the clay scrapers at Ford design keep this in mind.

body doublefun facts about ford's evos.
Concept cars unchain in-car technology from the shackles of reality. Ford claimed that the Evos could automatically adjust its stability-control parameters based on weather conditions and terrain, saying it would "take driver engagement to a new level." Call us old-fashioned, but we always thought driver engagement meant, among other things, being aware of where you are and whether or not water is falling from the sky. If pollen is your great concern, Ford imagined that the Evos could download air-quality data and determine an allergen-free route to your destination. Let's hope the Mustang won't.Jared Gall